What more could you want from Best Coast? (Aside from a hand delivered album by the band themselves) but that is just pushing it. The band’s second album is called The Only Place and it is really good! Indie, grunge, pop, little bit of surf in there too; it’s a great combination.
ZZ Ward is an American songwriter with a strong love for blues and hip hop. I love her voice and her writing style, the songs have got a definite blues undertone but I wouldn’t class it as solely that genre. There is a free mixtape download that I highly recommend you download, it’s available from the ZZ Ward website. Get a taster below of her live performance of Move Like You Stole It.
I’m still mightily intrigued by Grimes, are you? The Canadian musician (real name Claire Boucher) has recently become more well known. I would put it down to a few key and influential people talking about her on Twitter and the fact that she was on Later… with Jools Holland here in the UK. That is not to say that her music doesn’t speak for itself, because it does.
Grimes described writing the new album as being.. “equally enjoyable and tortuous but I feel like the fact that it was really hard was part of the reason that it was really good, y’know? I definitely look back on that time with fond memories, even though I remember crying and being like “I hate everything!” at the time! (Laughs) But I recorded it in my room in Montreal and it was a really good way to work”.
She is odd but I think that is what I find interesting, the music can also be odd but she seems like she has a lot to say in it as well. Anyone who records their album in their bedroom and releases it to the masses has my respect! I do wonder how entertaining her live performance is though… have you seen her live?
If you haven’t heard of Grimes, check out Oblivion below, the video has near to 1.5 million views in just under 3 months.
Also – Grimes has teamed up with a Montreal artist to design and create a line of themed rings inspired by… female parts. Yes I know… but here is the link: Grimes Rings
And boy does he do it well! In my humble opinion, if you are going to cover such a popular song that is easily recognisable and annoyingly catchy then you need to completely change it and put your own spin on it. I love Ben Howard, and his voice on this cover is gorgeous and I can listen to this song and forget about the original entirely, which is quite nice!
Now that’s quite a statement to make! The video has enough humour in it to know the guy doesn’t actually think that… right?! Check out the video for popular single Ray Charles by Chiddy Bang.
Emeli Sande is a talented songwriter and singer, (if you didn’t know she has been songwriting for other artists for a long time now and she’s only 24). I love the tone of her voice and really like the acoustic stripped down performance of Next To Me that she performed on Conan below. A perfect way to showcase your songwriting.
Stooshe are back with a new video for their latest single, Black Heart. I am reluctant to say it is a more ‘serious’ song and video but in comparison to previous singles it is definitely less tongue in cheek and more heartfelt. The ladies hinted at some of these types of songs when I chatted to them before Christmas. Watch the Stooshe Interview here.
Out of the Game Album Review for fairsharemusic.com
Even with seven albums under his career belt, Rufus Wainwright still has a lot to say with his music. A little snippet of attention catching information is that well-known producer, songwriter and artist Mark Ronson was a main collaborator on this album. But don’t worry; although you might be expecting some signature Ronson elements, it is fundamentally Rufus Wainwright through and through. Apparently the song that inspired Ronson was the title track, Out of the Game and you can see why. The upbeat yet mellow track features gospel style backing vocals and a guitar that simply sounds like it’s underwater.
